As activities for the 2021 World Tourism Day unfolds, the
13th Annual Eko Oni Baje Festival has announced that events marking the day
will commence on Saturday, September 25 and end on Monday, September 27.
According to the organisers, highlights of this year’s
edition that has become a part of the cultural calendar of Lagos metropolis
include the new yam festival, soccer competition, children’s art competition/
exhibition, beauty pageantry and wrestling to bring together the various ethnic
groups living in Lagos in line with the 2021 WTD theme: “Tourism For Inclusive
Growth”.
Announcing this, the Project Coordinator of Castledown Arts
Centre, Ozo Chinedu Idezuna, who also is the curators of the event, said the
quartet of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos State), Governor Yahaya Bello
(Kogi State), Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouq (Minister of Humanitarian Affairs) and
Mr. Allen Onyema (Chairman, Air Peace) will be decorated with the prestigious
‘Icons of National Cohesion Award’.
With the theme: ‘Peaceful Coexistence’, the Honours
Committee of the cultural fiesta stated that the quartet would be honoured for
using their offices and activities to cement the ties of national unity amongst
Nigerians.
Idezuna explained that the quartet got the highest number of
votes from respondents in a poll conducted to shortlist nominees for the event.
He said: “Let me stress that the award holds a special place
in this year’s festival, because we are concerned about the state of the
Nigerian nation today and believe that we need peaceful coexistence, which our
forefathers had been observing even before the Europeans came to Africa.
“We started a poll in June to find out about Nigerians whose
activities are helping to unite us rather than divide us; that was what threw
up the four names.
“Nigerians therefore, believe that these winners have done
well in uniting us, which is why as promoters of national unity through
culture; we want to recognise them and encourage others to be like them so that
we can have a more united Nigeria. Our message is that Nigeria is one,” he said.
Besides, he disclosed that the festival has always
highlighted what unites us as Nigerians, and that is our culture, expressed
through sports, our cuisine, the new yam festival and our beautiful women.
He emphasised, “The average Nigerian has no problem with
people from other ethnic nationalities. He needs peaceful coexistence to eke
out a living and progress. That is the
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